Okay, so you know how some quotes just hit you in the gut and then gently pat your back while whispering, “Hey, it’s fine. You’re doing your best”? That’s how I feel about this one by Mary Anne Radmacher: “Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day that says ‘I’ll try again tomorrow.’” And honestly? This has been one of my all-time favorite quotes for years. I’ve scribbled it on sticky notes, posted it above my desk, even stuck it in a journal like some kind of emotional lifeline for the days when life felt like a broken vending machine—loud, uncooperative, and refusing to give me my dang peanut M&M’s.
What I love most is that it flips the whole idea of courage. Like, we grow up thinking brave means swords and speeches and maybe a dramatic orchestral score, but honestly? Sometimes it’s just brushing your teeth at 11:58 PM after a full-on flop of a day and deciding not to give up entirely. That’s a different kind of fierce. A quieter kind, but no less gritty.
You know who totally embodies this vibe? Frodo Baggins. I mean, yeah, he had some roar-y moments, but a lot of his bravery came in the quieter scenes. That kid walked across Middle-earth barefoot (rude, honestly), carrying the world’s worst mood ring, and STILL kept going. Even when he was dehydrated, traumatized, and had Gollum whispering nonsense in his ear, he didn’t quit. Courage didn’t roar. It limped, wheezed, and mumbled, “Let’s just get to the next rock.”
Same energy with The Pursuit of Happyness—Will Smith (and his real-life son, which makes it extra emotionally spicy) plays a struggling single dad who basically eats rock bottom for breakfast every day. There’s that moment in the subway bathroom where he clutches his son while pretending it’s a game, and my soul just cracks. He’s not screaming. He’s not punching walls. He’s just hanging on, telling himself that tomorrow, he’ll try again. And spoiler alert: he does.
Even animated films get it. Inside Out was basically a quiet manifesto for this quote. Joy spends most of the movie trying to be loud and bright and perky (relatable), but it’s Sadness who teaches us that sitting with hard feelings is sometimes the most courageous thing you can do. Letting yourself cry and still showing up the next day? That’s peak bravery, in my opinion.
And don’t even get me started on books. Have you read Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman? Eleanor isn’t out there saving the world, but she is trying to function in a society that hasn’t been particularly kind to her. Every chapter is this slow burn of someone deciding, over and over, that maybe life is worth showing up for. Even if she has no idea how to do it right. (Spoiler: none of us do.)
So yeah. The next time your brain tries to tell you that you’re only brave if you’re loud or fearless or charging into battle with a flaming sword and a six-pack (of abs, not beer), just remember: sometimes the bravest thing you can do is whisper “I’ll try again tomorrow,” while wrapped in a blanket with a pint of rocky road and mascara streaked halfway down your cheek.
Trying again tomorrow doesn’t mean you failed today. It means you’re still in it.
The Golem’s Guardian – A perfect beach read!